.hack//G.U. vol. 2//Reminisce

"Misunderstood perfection"

Part 2 of the 3 part series has finally been released here in North America, and fan of the Dot Hack series couldn't be more thrilled. Picking off where the first game left off, the story continues to lead us deeper into the throws of an online game where evil forces threaten the World, both the game and the real world itself.

Game-play: Game-play hasn't changed much from the first game, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You play as Haseo, a character playing an online MMORPG called "The World." As you travel around the cities and environments, you uncover clues of a vicious plot involving an artificial intelligence known as AIDA. Quite often you will have to log out of "The World" to check your email, the world news, and message boards for new clues. The short 5 minute anime episodes of Online Jack keep you in touch with how events in "The World" is effecting the real world. Outside of playing "The World", you can play a new sidegame called Crimson Vs. A card game (wait.. it's not what you think) that plays itself and leaves you out of all the boring parts. The new Steam Bike races adds some variety as well. Returning from the first game are the Zone of Ender-like AIDA boss battles, and this time the challenge has been ramped up considerably.

Control: Combat is still very fun, though it hasn't changed much. Attacking still consists of mainly hitting the X button, but that doesn't mean everything is just going to be easy. The addition of a new Awakening super move mixes things up a little bit though, and are well worth completing that results in a powerful attack.

Graphics: The beautiful Cel-shaded graphics are still just as great as they were in the first game. New environments and monsters have been added into the game, as well as new wallpapers for your desktop... Unfortunately, the environments you explore are still randomly generated just like in the first game, and to new players may find this a turnoff

Sound: All the story elements are still fully voiced by the same cast as the first game. Players both old and new to the series will greatly enjoy Piros The 3rd's hot-blooded theme song... Both of them.

Final Verdict: The reason why I call this review "Misunderstood Perfection" is because the game may not appeal to the average gamer. To be true, the series may come off as confusing to someone who has never played the series before. In fact, anyone would recommend they start with Vol. 1 if they want to learn more about it. Fans of the series will be in pure heaven by playing this game though.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/07